Legacy of the Holmcross
by RisanF
Summary: Rudy's past chases him down in a sequence of freak occurences, threatening the lives of him, Jack, and Cecilia. Now, aided by the love and support of friends. the Holmcross must sift through the rage of clashing swords and gunplay to unlock the mystery.
1. Prologue

Welcome to "Legacy of the Homecross", a Wild Arms fanfic from long ago. This story was written over 5 years ago, back when Final Fantasy VII and even Wild Arms itself were still relatively new. My writing style has changed considerably since then, and even I don't agree with all the content in my work. Still, it's sure to bring back memories, and maybe even causing you to pop out the old Playstation Disc and take

Remember, since LOTH was created back in 1999, this story will ignore any developments that might've occurred in Wild Arms 2 & 3. If you ready for the ride, then hold on tight, 'cause Rudy, Jack, Cecilia, and Hanpan are dashing after another dream...!

RisanF

* * *

Prologue

* * *

Yanna rushed down the hallway with a baby in her arms.

She was panting exhaustedly, yet she still struggled to keep her baby warm. The piece of red cloth wasn't enough material to heat the child.

At an intersection, two guards caught up with her. "Hand the child to us, Ms. Fallon," the leading one commanded.

"Never!" she shouted back. "You'll never take him from me!" She shifted the baby to one arm, leaving her free to draw her knife. She lunged. The weapon cut into the guard's flesh. The other guard started to lift his weapon, but he found his hand injured by the tossed blade. He clutched his hand in pain, and Yanna took this opportunity to deliver a quick kick to his side. The guard fell down, and Yanna retrieved the knife. She resumed her travel.

More soldiers were starting to seek her, but she still managed to elude them. But she couldn't keep it up for much longer. Eventually, one of them would confront her.

She had reached the escape pods, and had strapped the child in. "My precious son..." she said to him. The child was confused, he kept looking back and forth in terror. She wrapped the cloth tighter around him. "Don't cry, my darling. Where you're going, you'll be safe from them." She had sealed the pod, and was startled by a young man with a bright violet dagger.

"You're so possessive, Yanna," he cooed menacingly, bringing his dagger up. "That child isn't even technically yours."

"I created him, so therefore it's mine!" she insisted. Her finger moved toward the launch button.

"Don't!" the man said. Yanna continued, and sent the pod out. Without another word, she smiled and gave the man the old one-finger salute. The man gnashed his teeth.

"I'll make sure you never see tomorrow!" he screamed in rage.

"Let's go, you bastard!" she challenged. Their daggers clashed with a glint of light...

Years passed...

* * *

Wild Arms: Legacy of the Holmcross

By Reid M. Haynes (RisanF)


	2. Chapter 1

Wild Arms: Legacy of the Holmcross

By Reid M. Haynes (RisanF)

* * *

Chapter I: Statement from Stone

* * *

The silver bullet tore through the darkness like a lightning bolt.

Rudy Roughknight watched to make sure the bullet hit its intended target. Satisfied after seeing the monster hit the ground, he turned to face the rest of his attackers.

The monsters remaining consisted of three goblins wielding axes, and a sword-toting skeleton. They quickly formed a circle around Rudy, spacing themselves far apart in hopes of a sneak attack. Rudy pulled the trigger on his ARM to send a shot into the nearest most goblin. While watching the goblin fall, the skeleton had crept up on Rudy's backside. The skeleton was in the process of swinging its blade at his back, when Rudy spun around and raised his sword into the path of his opponent's weapon. After the two blades clashed, Rudy aimed a kick into the skeleton's bony frame. His foot collided against the monster's rib cage, knocking the skeleton down to smash into pieces against the floor. The other two goblins were shot without incident.

Rudy breathed a sigh of relief, and checked his Radar. According to its scanner, only one monster was left in the temple, indicated by a flashing blip. Rudy smiled to himself. After this monster was dealt with, it would be over. Rudy raced down the hall, thinking about the past week. In that week Rudy, along with his friends Jack and Cecilia, had demolished the tower of Ka Dingal, putting a halt to Mother's plan to destroy all of Filgaia. But the war was not over. They had received a letter from a nearby town of Milama, informing the three Dream Chasers of an outburst of monsters emerging from the Guardian Temple. Rudy was in the process of eliminating all the monsters from the temple. Just one more to go...

Rudy turned a corner, and found himself face to face with a beast of immense proportions. It was about five times RudyÌs height, and nearly filled the massive chamber it inhabited.

"What is that thing?" Rudy muttered to himself. The beast appeared to be made out of stone, or out of a similar substance. It looked humanoid in shape, but a large cannon was mounted where the left arm should have been. Bizarre as the creature looked, Rudy found it strangely familiar.

"Oh no..." Rudy gasped as he recognized just what the beast was. The beast looked identical, in shape and size, to the large robotic weapons known as Golems. How this one was left undiscovered escaped him, but Rudy decided that the Golem was better off left alone.

Rudy was in the process of leaving, when he heard a burst of air escape behind him. He turned around in the direction the sound came from, but wasn't prepared for the sight that awaited him. The Golem's two eye sockets had suddenly flashed red. It slowly started to raise itself into a standing position. The head of the Golem turned to directly face Rudy.

And the cannon on his arm was starting to rise.

Rudy quickly prepared himself for battle. His ARM was out of its holster in less than a second. He aimed the barrel at the Golem's right eye and pulled the trigger, but was dismayed to hear a hollow click, indicating that the gun was out of ammunition.

"Damn!" Rudy cursed as he pulled the trigger over and over again without results. "Not now..." He checked his jacket pockets for a spare bullet clip, but instead discovered a small hole in it. Suddenly, Rudy felt a crushing sensation as the Golem clenched its fist around his body. The beast held his prize in the air for a moment, then prepared its cannon to destroy the intruder. Rudy closed his eyes in preparation for the blow. Nothing happened. Rudy opened his eyes, and was surprised to find the Golem studying him with curiousity. Then it spoke.

"Holm...cross..." it rumbled unsteadily with a guttural voice. "Holm...cross..." it repeated.

"What?" Rudy said, confused. The Golem released its grip on Rudy, sending him plummeting toward the floor. When Rudy rose off the ground, he looked at the Golem once more. The beast was shaking wildly. It suddenly started going into body spasms. It's large arm swung back, and took out a large pillar. The stones of the pillar were knocked at Rudy, who quickly tumbled into a roll to avoid them.

The Golem's spasms continued, and now the temple's very foundation was starting to weaken. Rudy took one last look at the beast, then dashed out of the chamber.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

"Where is he?" Cecilia Adlehyde said as she paced back and forth. "He's been in there for three hours. Shouldn't he be out of there by now?"

"He'll be here," Jack Van Burace replied calmly, despite the fact that he was concerned as well about Rudy. "Rudy can handle himself," Jack could see that the young seventeen-year-old still very much worried.

Jack smiled. It was kinda funny, seeing the usually calm and mature princess so agitated. But she was also right. Rudy had been in there for too long.

"That's it. I'm going in there," Cecelia said, brushing her long, blonde hair out of her face. It had grown back since she cut it after the Ruin Festival. She had already started her walk toward the Guardian Temple, when a small voice spoke up.

"No Cecilia. Let me go after him." It was Hanpan, the windrat. Hanpan had crawled out of Jack's pocket, and was siting on Jack's knee. Jack looked at him with an amused expression on his face.

"Since when do you offer to do some actual work around here," Jack said snidely.

"Knock it off!" Hanpan snapped, twitching his whiskers. "I'm just trying to help out."

All conversation was dropped the moment they heard the rumbling. All of them looked up to see the temple shaking unsteadily.

"That thing's gonna blow!" Jack exclaimed, rising up. Cecilia was looking at the temple with a panicked look on her face.

"Rudy!"

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Rudy was running like mad to escape the falling stones. He stopped just in time to avoid an avalanche of rocks just ahead. He leaped over them, and continued his run. The entire temple was collapsing around him...

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Dust was erupting from the temple. Rocks and debris were shaking loose. The roof was crumbling up, then finally broke down. The entire temple was nothing more than a pile of rubble.

"No!" Cecilia screamed. She tried to rush toward the temple, but Jack caught her arm and pulled her back.

"What do you think you're doing? Let me go!" she protested, trying to wiggle free of his grip.

"It's too dangerous," Jack said, continuing to maintain his hold. "Just wait. Rudy'll pull through. He's gotten out of tighter spots than this." But things looked quite grim now.

They continued to wait, and Cecilia had almost given up hope, when they saw a figure emerge from the demolished building. Rudy slowly appeared out of the shadows, covered in dust and was slowly making his way toward the two.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief. Cecilia ran up to Rudy. When she reached him, she slapped him across the face. Hard.

"Where the hell have you been?" she snapped at him harshly. "I've been worried sick about you!" When Cecilia looked up, she was surprised to see Rudy smiling.

"You were worried about me?" he said, looking at her inquisitively.

"We all were." Jack stepped in, walking up to him. "Even Hanpan was going to look for you, and you know he rarely does anything to help."

"Shut up!' Hampan yelled back. "Don't talk as if I were useless. I've done plenty of things helpful!"

"Sure Hanpan," Jack said, humoring him. "We all know how much of a contributor you are to us." Rudy laughed at this comical exchange, and even Cecilia started to calm down.

"Well, I'm just glad you're okay," she said, a bit embarrassed at her earlier outburst "...sorry I snapped."

"It's okay," Rudy said. They all started to walk away from the temple.

"Not to be rude or anything," Jack said with a smirk on his face. "But if you keep us waiting like that again, you're not going to get your allowance," Rudy punched him on the arm playfully. Cecilia rolled her eyes.

"By the way, did you manage to kill all the monsters?' Jack inquired.

"Unless the Radar screwed up, they should all be gone," Rudy said. "Even if I missed some, they couldn't have survived the crash."

"What caused that crash, anyway?" Cecilia broke in.

"It's the strangest thing, really." Rudy answered, looking back at her. "This huge rock beast went berserk, and started smashing the place. I might be mistaken, but that thing looked just like a Golem."

"A Golem?" she said, surprised. "In the temple? But I thought they were all accounted for."

"Apparently not," he responded. "I've never seen that one before. Anyhow, it's nothing to worry about. It should be gone now."

Cecilia noticed that he was being quite short about the subject, which Rudy only was when he was really worried. What could he be hiding?

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Rudy sat up around the fire. Cecilia and Jack were already fast asleep in their tents. He continued to prod the fire with a stick. What did the Golem mean when he said, "Holmcross?"


	3. Chapter 2

Wild Arms: Legacy of the Holmcross

By Reid M. Haynes (RisanF)

* * *

Chapter II: Dark Preparations

* * *

"Are the arrangements set. Gladius?" the bearded old man atop the throne said unto the shadowed figure kneeling before him.

"Yes, master," Gladius responded respectfully. "I need only to give the order to Chimera."

"Then do it," the man said curtly. "Every wasted minute decreases our chances for success."

"Of course. At once master." Gladius turned to leave then paused in mid stride. "Excuse me for being rude, but why is time of the essence?"

"Are you a fool?" the man said with a harsh voice. "Can't you see that he is already starting to wonder?"

"Pardon me, but who?" Gladius said, confused.

"You know whom," The man said with a sarcastic edge to his voice. "Or didn't you hear the distress call from Borealis?"

"The Golem in the old temple?" Gladius questioned. "But, that thing is always acting up."

"Perhaps, but I still trust its identification scanner," the man answered, making it clear that the topic was closed. "I want him destroyed."

"Don't you thing that's a bit rash, sir?" Gladius said, being careful with his words. "After all, the only thing keeping him in line is the girl, and the ex-knight."

"What are you suggesting, Gladius?" the man said, waiting.

"If we eliminate the other two, he can be turned. Our work will proceed twice as fast with him on our side."

The man thought over this" for a moment. "Very well," he said at last. "I'll let you dispatch a unit to take care of them. But hear this." His eyes didn't narrow, yet somehow they portrayed an image of a threat. "If they fail, you will be held responsible." The man clenched his fist. "And I do not accept failure, Gladius."

Gladius gulped. "I will not fail you, master," he said nervously.

"Good," he said with a wave of his hand. "Now go and take care of our other business. You're dismissed."

"As you wish," Gladius said, leaving the room.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

"Innocent One..." the voice called out from the darkness.

"Stoldark..." Cecilia said, looking around in confusion. At that moment, the Guardian Stoldark emerged from the darkness.

"A great trial will befall the Holmcross," Stoldark said in a hollow voice.

"You mean Rudy?" Cecilia asked, looking up at him.

"Yes," the large tortoise responded. "His trial will be painful and difficult. He may not be able to handle it."

"What should I do?" Cecilia said, wondering what she was being called upon to do.

"Nothing," Stoldark answered.

"What?" Cecelia exclaimed, shocked. "How can you expect me just to sit here, and do nothing?"

"This matter is out of your control," the Guardian said with patience. "I came here to warn you not to interfere. You assistance will only make the Holmcross's trial more challenging."

"Please," she begged to Stoldark. "Tell me something I can do to help him!"

"Do not hide your feelings from him out of pride," the Guardian replied. "That is the only thing that will help him."

"I've never hidden anything from Rudy!" she denied, angry for a moment at the Guardian's accusations. "I've always been honest and forthright with him."

"You may conceal the truth from yourself, but not from me," Stoldark said. "Denial will only hurt him in the end." With that, the Guardian vanished into parts unknown.

"Wait!" Cecilia called out. But Stoldark had already gone, leaving her to contemplate what he said. What did he mean by "hiding the truth?"

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

"Are we all ready to go?" Jack said to Rudy and Cecilia.

"I guess," Cecilia said groggily. Jack looked at her. It looked like she hadn't had much sleep. Her eyes were sunken in, and her hair was mussed.

"I'm ready," Rudy said. To Jack's eyes, he didn't look much better. He sighed. Was he the only one that ever got any shuteye?

"Hurry up and pack the food, Jack!" Hanpan snarled. It was clear that Hanpan had gotten plenty of sleep that night. Jack personally thought that it might do Hanpan some good to get a little exhausted. Anything to keep him from talking constantly.

"You could help, you know," Jack retorted as he gathered some apples.

"Not with these paws, I can't," Hanpan said as he folded his arms/legs/whatever they were.

An hour later, they were back on the trail walking. Rudy continued to be tired...and yet, somewhat nervous as well. The princess looked equally disturbed. "Hey Rudy, what's wrong," Jack asked him after a few minutes. "You got some something on your mind?"

Rudy looked back at him. "Something else happened at the temple," he said quietly to him. "Just before the Golem went berserk, it said something."

"What?" Jack asked, starting to get interested.

"It kept calling out 'Holmcross', for some reason," Rudy said, looking at the ground, as if ashamed.

"Holmcross?" Jack asked, shocked. "That's you, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Rudy replied. "I don't know what it could possibly want with me, though."

"Is the princess in on this too?" Jack questioned.

"I don't know," Rudy said, looking relieved to have a slight change in topics. "She hasn't said a word to me since last night."

"When she keeps quiet like this, it usually means something up," Jack warned intelligently.

"I'm worried," Rudy said at last. "It's not good for her to keep a secret like this. Hey Jack...watch her for me, okay?"

Rudy seemed a trifle nervous, but Jack waved it aside. "Sure, kid," he casually said to him. "And don't worry. She's not the type that'd break down on you."

"Thanks, Jack," Rudy said with a grin, then he turned away to face the road.

Rudy looked more relaxed now, and that was good. The last thing Jack wanted was to have his friend worried.

"Where are we headed, anyway?" Jack said to Rudy, as they continued down the trail.

"Don't you remember?" Rudy said with a grimace. "We're headed to Adlehyde. Emma wants us to see her new invention."

"Oh yeah, that train contraption," he realized. An unpleasant notion hit Jack. "Hey, don't you think that we should be hunting monsters instead of acting like Emma's little lab rats?

"Watch it!" Hanpan shouted from Jack's pocket. "Some of us are rats, you know."

"Oh shut up, you little blue freak!" Jack snorted back at the windrat.

"Calm down, you two," Rudy reprimanded them sternly.

"Yes, Father," Jack muttered under his breath. Rudy didn't seem to hear him.

"Besides," Rudy continued. "I'll be good for us not to have to run from crushing temples and monsters for a while."

"I always thought temples and monsters were Emma's specialty."

"This is a train, not a dungeon, knuckle head."

They continued like this during the entire trip to the Adlehyde Kingdom.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Ransu watched in the bushes at the three travelers, shining his knife as he snickered to himself at the irony of the situation.

"So they think they're safe at their little train show. What fools!"

A mysterious old man had hired Ransu to get rid of the two other Dream Chasers, but to leave the boy unharmed. Why the man wanted it that way escaped him, but Ransu never asked questions. He just did the job, and then got paid. One thing Ransu was good at though, was seeing opportunities.

And this situation was ripe for the pickings.

"Man, this is too good!" A sneer appeared on Ransu's face. "All I have to do is get them both on the train, and then they are gone!"

The whole plan would go off without a hitch, and Ransu wouldn't have to swing a blow. He continued to snicker.

"Those little bastards won't know what hit them."


	4. Chapter 3

Wild Arms: Legacy of the Holmcross

By Reid M. Haynes (RisanF)

* * *

Chapter III: The Chase

* * *

"Welcome to my presentation!" Emma called out to the gathered crowd. "This new invention will revolutionize transportation!"

Rudy, Jack, and Cecilia were all gathered outside Adlehyde City.

"That woman is full of bull," Jane Maxwell whispered to Rudy. "I wouldn't be surprised if that entire contraption burst apart right now."

"Don't you think that you're being a little hard on Emma?" Rudy whispered back. "After all, she built the Protowing, and that seemed to work out pretty well."

"You mean her assistants built the Protowing," she snarled, gritting her teeth. "That lazy woman has no work-ethics."

Jane continued to grumble, and Rudy simply looked at the train, trying his best to ignore her. True, Jane was a good friend and loyal to her allies as well, but she had a tendency of going overboard at times.

Rudy looked at his companion. Cecilia was staring at the contraption with avid interest. Jack, as usual, was paying no real attention.

"With the locomotion steam engine, you can go up to 44 mph. Of course, this process requires tremendous energy at this current stage, but with some fine-tuning, and of course some generous funding from some of our lovely..." Emma continued to ramble on about technical nonsense, and Rudy tuned her out. At least until he heard Emma call out: "Who wants to try it out?"

"I'll try it out," Cecilia called out to Emma.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a volunteer!" Emma cried out to the audience.

Cecilia was almost inside the train car when Rudy stopped her. "Wait a second," he said, his face starting to sweat. "You can't."

"Why not?" Cecilia responded, starting to get annoyed.

"I just don't think you should be messing with unreliable machinery," he said worryingly.

"As opposed to using ancient weapons?" Cecilia yelled, outraged. "I can handle myself. Excuse me." She pushed by him, and entered the car.

"Cecilia!" Rudy shouted at her.

Cecilia looked back at him and smiled. "Don't worry. I'll be careful."

Rudy blinked at this, and Cecilia took the opportunity to pinch his bandanna between her finger and thumb. She stretched the fabric a little bit, then snapped it back to his forehead, causing the boy to step back in surprise.

Smiling mischievously, she proceeded to get on the train, disappearing beyond the iron doorframe. Rudy just stood a moment with a confused expression on his face, then relented with a sigh, and tuned back to Emma's show-and-dance.

"You are witnessing history in the mak..."

"Shut up, Emma!" Jack cut her off, tired of her endless babbling. "Just start the damn train!"

Emma gave him a dirty look, then announced to a bearded man: "Pull the lever!"

The bearded man chucked quietly and pulled the lever.

The train started up slowly, then slowly build up speed, and zoomed down the track. The train took a right at the intersection, and continued moving. The crowd cheered it on with wild esteem.

But Emma wasn't cheering.

"Emma, what's wrong?" Rudy said as Emma started sweating.

She looked up at him. "That train..." Emma said nervously. "it...it..."

"Speak up!" Jack yelled, clenching his fists. "What did you screw up?"

"The train...it's going down the wrong track," Emma said to them, her eyes starting to well up in tears.

"Wrong track? What the hell do you mean 'wrong track?'"

"Th-that train...it's headed for Adlehyde Gorge," Emma said, barely being able to control the tears.

"WHAT?" Jack screamed, grabbing Emma by the shoulders.

"I...I don't know how it happened!" she sobbed, grabbing Jack's jacket. "I just looked at it and..." She started to weep miserably.

"But, Cecilia's on that train!" Jack said, starting to panic.

"I'm sorry, Jack." Emma kept crying to herself. "I'm so sorry..."

"We got to save her, Rudy!" Jack called to his friend, only to find he was no longer there. "...Rudy?"

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Rudy had rushed off as soon as Emma informed them that the train was headed toward the gorge. He was running as fast as he could to the castle stables. "Cecilia..." he muttered to himself, his face contorted. If anything should happen to her...

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

The bearded man was far away from Adlehyde by the time the commotion had started. He took off his fake beard, and burst out into laughter.

"This is great!" Ransu hooted, slamming his fist on a stump. "One little switchero, and it's already done. Now, all I have to do is see that the train falls, and I rake in the dough!" He leapt onto his horse, and raced toward Adlehyde Gorge.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

"I'm sorry, the stable is closed," the ranch owner said to the boy that had approached him.

The kid was a sight to see, all right. His blue hair was all frizzled up, and his bandanna was loose around his head. He'd obviously been sprinting, and he was really worried, judging from his face.

"But it's an emergency!" the boy called out in a panic, his forehead lined with concern.

"I'm sorry," the ranch owner repeated harshly. "But the ranch is CLOSED."

"Then I'm sorry too," the boy said, sounding sad. Without another word, he punched the ranch owner right in the jaw. The ranch owner tried to fight back, but everything was getting dizzy. He attempted to call the boy to stop, but all he managed to get out was, "Ssstttooo...ugh..." and he hit the wood floor in a heap.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Rudy leaped on a brown mare. He hated having to hit that ranch owner, but there was no time to argue.

"Come on, girl," he urged the horse. The horse slowly started to gallop out of the stable. Rudy urged the horse toward the doomed train. But the train was going too fast. He would never catch up to it in time...then Rudy had an inspiration. He pulled his ARM up to bear, and aimed a precise shot toward the train's inter workings. The projectile, when it connected, broke through the various gear mechanisms that controlled the train's propulsion. Rudy fired once more for good measure, then watched as the smoke stack suddenly stopped producing steam.

The train, of course, didn't stop moving with its power supply cut off, but it moved noticeably slower than before. This change in speed allowed Rudy to catch up to the train. He directed his horse to the small passenger car. He carefully opened the car's door to find Cecilia sitting quite calmly on a small chair.

"Rudy...?" she said in surprise.

"Come on!" Rudy shouted at her. "This train is headed for the gorge."

Luckily, Cecilia got the message pretty quick. She ran to Rudy, and he pulled her up onto the horse. Rudy moved the horse away from the train, and guided it to a spot. He turned around to watch the train.

The train continued to proceed to the cliff. It lurched over the edge with a squeal of metal. After a few moments, a deafening explosion could be heard as the train met its end. A brilliant fireball rose from the gorge, then all was silent.

"How did this happen?" Cecilia asked Rudy.

"Let's find out," Rudy said as they rode back to Adlehyde.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

At Adlehyde, Jack was busy chewing out anyone he could find. Emma was bent over a machine with her head in her hands. Jane was attempting to give her some sound advice.

"Shut up!" Emma sobbed at Jane, blowing on a tissue.

"I'm trying to tell you something important!" Jane continued despite Emma'a outburst. "You need to check up on your work constantly to avoid these disasters."

"Shut up, shut up, shut UP!" Emma slammed her fist on the machine, which sent a hollow clang echoing throughout the gathering. Meanwhile, Jack was questioning a worker.

"What do you mean you just 'hired him on the spot?'" he shouted out, cracking his knuckles.

"We...we were short on workers today, and he offered to help..." the worker trailed off nervously. But before Jack could interrogate him any further, Rudy and Cecilia arrived.

"Hey, you're back!" Jack greeted them.

"What's going on?" Cecilia asked.

"Well, the crowd's in a state of panic, Emma's abusing machinery," Jack said with a touch of sarcasm to his voice. "Basically, all hell has broken loose."

"How hard is Emma taking it?" Rudy questioned him.

"Pretty damn hard," Jack answered, looking back at the dejected Emma. "But if you ask me, I'm not sure this is entirely her fault.

"What do you mean?" Cecilia asked, looking at jack strangely. "You know something we don't?"

"One of the workers hired a new guy to help them out," Jack started up, folding his arms. "That guy was left for thirty minutes alone to do what he pleased."

"Sabotage?" Cecilia said, raising an eyebrow. "But who would want to ruin Emma's demonstration?"

"I don't think the demonstration is what he's out to ruin," Jack said, his manner indicating a darker tone.

"You mean...?" Rudy said, starting to get the idea.

"Yeah," Jack confirmed with a nod. "Someone's trying to rub us out."

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

"Damn it!" Ransu said as he sat by the fire. "They escaped! I'll get them next time."

"There won't be a next time, Ransu," a silhouetted figure called out from the shadows.

"Gladius...?" Ransu turned his head to see the tall form of Gladius emerge from the shadows.

"You failed me," Gladius said, his voice bearing the quality of tempered steel. "I trusted you with this task, and you FAILED!"

"Gladius...sir...please," Ransu groveled toward his employer. "If you just give me one more chance, I can..."

Gladius strode toward him and gave Ransu a backhand punch across his cheek. He stiffened from the blow. "You've had your chance," he said, drawing his sword. "I should have known better to trust a coward like you with this job."

"C-coward?" Ransu stammered, rubbing his face where Gladius's fist had met it.

"Yes," Gladius responded, raising his sword in the air. "If you had done the job yourself, instead of staging a little train accident, she would've been dead." A cruel smile appeared on Gladius's face. "But I guess you couldn't have done the job, seeing that you're too weak to handle them."

Without another word, Gladius drove his sword straight into the other's stomach. He pulled it out, and Ransu slumped to the ground, his face falling into the campfire. Gladius then silently left, leaving the wounded man to die in the flames.


	5. Chapter 4

Wild Arms: Legacy of the Holmcross

By Reid M. Haynes (RisanF)

* * *

Chapter IV: Expanding Danger

* * *

Faraway in the Elw dimension, in a little villa far from the village, Vassim sat alone with a bow in his hands.

He kept flexing the string to test its tautness. Actually, it was more out of impulsiveness then necessity. Living away from Elw society was a test on sanity. After he was sure of the bow's effectiveness, he grabbed a quiver and proceeded outside. After a few miles, he ducked behind a shrub in a small clearing. A minute or so later, a female deer wandered onto the prairie. Vassim smiled grimly at this twist in fate. To find prey so fast was luck at its best. He was in the process of fitting an arrow into the bow when he saw something else.

The deer had at least five offspring following it, feeding off grass as they went.

Vassim cursed to himself. Even when he was this desperate for food, he couldnÌt bring himself to kill a mother. He would have to wait longer, now.

Suddenly, a burst of pain ran through his back. He doubled over in pain, looking at his assailant. A tall female stood over him. She looked mostly human, but in place of skin, there was a strange blue exterior. Her long white hair cascaded down her back. In her hands was some sort of strange projectile weapon.

"Your little hunt is over, Vassim," the woman said, aiming the weapon at Vassim.

"Who...who the hell are you?" Vassim shouted in confusion. His back still ached from the woman's attack.

"My name is Chimera," she said, her weapon not wavering in the slightest. "And I have orders to take you in."

"What...?" Vassim stammered, slowly backing up.

"Isn't it obvious?" Chimera said, her voice betraying annoyance. "Come with me."

Vassim was confused, but he decided that he didn't like what she was saying. He approached her, and was hit by a sharp kick to his side. He wretched, howling in pain. At this point, he recognized the weapon.

An ARM, Vassim thought.

"Don't even try," she said, putting the ARM's gun barrel front of his face. "Although you are important to our plan, I won't hesitate to destroy you if you insist on being a nuisance.

"What plan?" Vassim asked.

"You are the one that created that legendary weapon, the Guardian Blade, right?" she inquired.

"So?" Vassim snorted in disgust. "If you think I'm going to create another one of those damn things, you're dreaming."

"Then you tempt death."

"My own life is forfeit," Vassim said valiantly. "I'll gladly give it up to stop your plans, whatever they are.

Then Chimera said something that made Vassim's heart nearly stop. "But would you risk the life of your sister?"

Vassim's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"We know what she looks like, where she lives, where she will be at a certain time of day," she said flatly. "If you want no harm to come to her, come quietly."

Vassim was cornered. He raised his arms in surrender. He didn't know what Chimera's plan was, but he had a feeling he would find out...

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

"Vassim has been retrieved," Gladius said to the man on the throne.

"Very good," the man applauded. "What is the status of our three travelers?"

"They remain alive," Gladius said, cursing inside. He had hoped it wouldn't surface. "Ransu failed in his mission. I dispatched him."

"Remember," the man said warningly. "I have limited patience. You'd better have them this time. If you make another mistake..."

"I won't," Gladius interrupted, not wanting to hear the ending of the sentence. "I'll send Chimera this time. She has a reputation of getting results."

"Remember..." the man repeated, and Gladius left before he had a chance to change his mind.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

"So what do we do now?" Rudy asked. The commotion about the train accident had whittled down by now.

"We have to find a place to lie low for a while," Jack returned, absentmindedly fiddling with the sheath of his sword. "At least until we figure out what's going on."

"How do we go about doing that when we're hiding?" Cecilia asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice. Being trapped on a doomed train had grated on her nerves and patience.

"We just need time to think about the situation," Jack answered, deciding not to be peeved by the princess' shortness. "Preferably in a place where we aren't getting hunted down."

"Don't you think it'll be more dangerous just sitting around waiting for another assassin to come by and take a shot at us?" Cecilia queried, refusing to be deterred.

"Not if we hide real good," Jack responded, giving off a wry smile.

In that time, Jane had approached the group quietly.

"I have a suggestion." Jane entered into the conversation.

"I'll take anything at this point," Cecilia said wearily, tired of arguing.

"The kingdom of Adlehyde is having their annual festival in a few days," Jane said. "Whoever's chasing you would be stupid to try anything in a crowd.

"A festival?" Cecilia asked. "I don't recall a festival ever being held here. Unless you count the Ruin Festival." She shuddered at the thought of how that turned out.

"Don't worry. Emma's gadgets are staying far away from this festival," Jane assured her. "The whole reason she was showing off her train today was because she wasn't allowed to make it a part of the festival."

"Seems like you thought of everything," Jack remarked, only semi-sarcastic this time. "But what if do decide to go ahead and attack."

"I've been hired to help defend the place," Jane explained. "In other words, if someone tries anything, I'll kill 'em," Jane said, brandished her ARM in a imposing manner.

"I guess that sounds alright," Jack gave in reluctantly, then a thought came into his head. "Will we be expected to wear fancy clothing?"

"Are you kidding?" Cecilia said with a twinkle in her eye. "Of course you are."

"Damn!"

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

It was about time for the festival when Jack really starting to get irritated.

Here he stood, the mighty Dream Chaser, dressed in the most passive of clothing. He was wearing one of those shirts with the ruffles on it. The kind of shirt he hated. His jacket was overly fancy, making him look like a clown.

And he was wearing the stupidest hat!

Just as he decided to slip out quietly and check up on Jane, Rudy came up to him. He was dressed similar: ruffles, dumb hat etc.

"Hey Jack...what's wrong?" Rudy said as he noticed his companion's downcast expression.

"I hate this," Jack responded with a pout.

"Come on Jack, it's not that bad," Rudy said in a pleasant tone. "In fact, it's kind of...nice."

"Nice?" Jack exclaimed, practically up in Rudy's face. "What do you mean, nice?"

"It...just feels good not to be covered in dirt for once," Rudy returned. "I mean, I've never owned such a nice piece of clothing in my life."

"Back when I was a Fenril Knight, we had to wear this type of clothing for social events," Jack said, reminiscing angrily. "I hated it then, and I hate it now!"

"I wonder where Cecilia is," Rudy said, looking around the palace.

"Figures she wouldn't be here," Jack snarled half to himself. "Puts me though all this, and then doesn't even show up herself."

"Hey, guys," Cecilia called out from the balcony. She was wearing a nice white dress with puffed sleeves. Of course she's the only one who can wear this type of clothing, Jack thought to himself. She's the princess!

"Hello," Jack responded curtly. Cecilia noticed this and started to get angry.

"Oh Jack, it's only for one day," she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"One day too many," Jack grumbled, folding his arms. Cecilia wandered off into the crowd, tired of Jack's attitude. Jack started to mumble to himself, about bossy princesses, wearing nice clothes, and royalty in general. He turned to Rudy in hopes to relieve some stress, when he noticed that Rudy's eyes were still on Cecilia. He started thinking.

"Hey Rudy," Jack called, startling Rudy. "You stare at her any harder, and you'll burn a hole through her."

"W-what do you mean," Rudy said, looking at the floor.

"You're blushing," Jack pointed out. Rudy was reddening by the second. Then the truth came to Jack. "Oh I see. You like her."

"W-WHAT?" Rudy said, his face starting to sweat.

"So that's why you're always so nervous around her," Jack prodded cruelly. "Oh man, this is rich!" He almost felt like doing a little dance while shouting out "Rudy likes Cecilia! Rudy likes Cecilia!"

But Rudy had had enough of Jack's teasing. He came at Jack swinging, but he stepped to the side. Jack thrust his arm out, keeping Rudy back.

"Kid, knock it off!" Jack shouted, as Rudy backed off, rage in his eyes.

"You know, Jack," Rudy huffed, fists clenched. "Just because you're in a bad mood doesn't mean you can spread it onto everyone else."

"Alright! Alright! I'm sorry, okay," Jack apologized, and Rudy started to regain his composure. "What brought this on, anyway?"

"It's just..." Rudy was looking at the floor again. "She's the first person that ever thought of me as a person. Even after she found out who I really was, she still treats me the same."

"So go tell her this," Jack told him. "Keeping it all inside won't help matters."

"You don't understand," Rudy moaned. "I'm not human. I'm a creation. A thing. Why would she want to be with...a thing?"

"Now cut that out!" Jack snapped, tired of Rudy's depressing attitude. "Look, does it even matter what you are? I mean, you're still a living being."

"Am I?" Rudy said, raising his head.

"Only a living thing could be acting this depressed," Jack said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I...guess so," Rudy said, finally cheering up. "Still, you think she'd be interested?"

"Chances are, kid, that she's as lonely as you," Jack responded, looking at Rudy.

"Okay, you've convinced me," Rudy shrugged. "What should I do?"

"Think for a second." Jack rapped his fingers on his skull. "This is a party. With dancing. So..."

"You're not serious," Rudy backed away. "I don't know the first thing about dancing."

"What makes you think she knows anything about dancing?" Jack lectured him. Rudy paused for a moment.

"Go on," he encouraged him. Rudy remained motionless for a second longer, then slowly proceeded toward Cecilia. Jack craned his head to watch.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Cecilia wasn't having such a wonderful time.

She kept tripping over her own two feet, accidentally knocking over other dancers. The people were starting to avoid her now, and she was getting lonely just standing there. When Rudy approached her, she almost hid in the crowd.

"Cecilia," he called to her.

"Oh, hello Rudy," she said, trying to be pleasant for his sake. But Rudy obviously saw though her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she lied, then added: "It just that...well...I'm not that great at this.

"Really?" Rudy said, his face brightening up, which angered her.

"Don't laugh!" she shouted, her face turning red. "It's not funny."

"I don't think it's funny," Rudy explained, and she looked at him inquisitively. "I'm not a good dancer either."

When Cecilia looked back at him, he had his hand outstretched to her. She smiled and took it. He led her onto the floor.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Jack watched them both dance. Or attempt to, anyhow. They kept stumbling over each other time and time again. But they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"Man, isn't that cute as hell," Jack commented to Hanpan.

"I don't think 'cute as hell' is proper language skills," Hanpan criticized from Jack's pocket.

"It is the opinion of myself that the dialect you are distributing is not mutually beneficial to the distributing factor of the metamorphosis blah blah blah," Jack spit out sarcastically. "Must you always be a pest?"

"They do look nice together, don't they," Hanpan muttered low.

"Why, Hanpan!" Jack gave a coy grin. "You have a heart after all!"

"Shut up, loser!" Hanpan snapped.

"The term 'loser' isn't proper language skill," Jack snickered.

"Is so!"

They continued to shout at each other, and Jack started to wonder what Jane was doing.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Jane was nearly asleep when she heard a small creek.

She got up with a start. Drawing her ARM, she took around the premises. Everything seemed to be in order. Nothing was moving. Neither were the soldiers. They were asleep, of course.

"Idiots," she muttered out-loud, almost hoping the soldiers would hear her, and wake up. But, of course, they didn't. She sighed. Typical. She sat back down and continued her watch.

Suddenly, she heard another creek, this time it was closer.

That tears it, she thought. She swung her weapon around. "Come out!" Jane called out to the dark void. "Show yourself, punk!"

As if on cue, a dark shadow dashed out. "You called?" a feminine voice called out.

"Who the hell are you?" Jane shouted at her unknown foe, raising her ARM.

The shadow stepped into the moonlight to reveal a blue skinned woman with white hair. She was holding a loaded ARM in her hand. "I wouldn't try anything," Chimera said, slowly approaching Jane. "Not if I wanted to see tomorrow..."


	6. Chapter 5

(Thanks for all the comments so far, everyone. Though I wonder what arc meant when he/she said that my story was "more or less a rewrite." Teefa, I'm actually male, BTW. Guys like sweet, romantic stories too.

Now, on with the story.)

* * *

Wild Arms: Legacy of the Holmcross

By Reid M. Haynes (RisanF)

* * *

Chapter V: Duelist

* * *

"I said who are you?" Jane tried again, her gun not lowering in the slightest.

"Chimera will do," she answered.

"A stupid name for a stupid looking creature," Jane growled. "The game's over. Give it up."

"I don't think so," Chimera said, aimed her gun. She fired off a shot. Jane rolled out of the way, and returned fire. Chimera sprang up into the air. She shot two more bullets before she hit the ground. One shot went wide, but the other ripped Jane's clothes.

This girl's pretty good, Jane thought, sweating. I can't keep this up forever. I've got to stop this. She fired to keep her occupied, then jumped in close. She attempted to fire a blast. But Chimera easily sidestepped the bullet. Her foot swung out to knock the gun out of Jane's hand. Another kick was planted in Jane's gut. She grunted, doubling over. Chimera stood triumphantly over her.

"You've lost," Chimera said, reading her pistol. "I'll be generous, and give you a fast death."

Looks like this is the end, Jane thought. She mentally stiffened for the impending bullet.

The shot never came. When Jane looked up, Chimera was on the ground, her side smoking. Jane spied Cecilia with her rod out in an offensive manner. Jack and Rudy weren't far behind.

"You came after us, didn't you," Jack said, his sword angled at Chimera's neck. "Care to tell us why?"

"I…I was just following orders," Chimera groaned, twitching from the wound.

"Whose orders?" Jack demanded, putting the blade closer to her. "Speak up!"

"The…the master wants you dead," she stammered, her eyes starting to close.

"All of us?" Rudy asked her.

"No," Chimera said. "Only you two." She pointed at Jack and Cecilia, then keeled over. The group waited in silence for a moment.

"Is she…" Cecilia said finally, but was interrupted when a dark form pierced the shadows.

The figure was a young man, with dark red hair flowing down his back. His dark violet eyes held a foreboding look. His gloved hand was kept firmly on the holster of his ARM.

The man looked at Rudy. "So, you're the one," he said, stepping toward him. "I didn't expect you to look like this." He continued his walk, but Cecilia stepped in his path.

"Stay back," she threatened, pulling her rod up to bear. "Don't come any closer."

The man chuckled, and Cecilia edged away from him. "You're not worth my time," he said, his voice dripping with contempt. "I've come to give you a message. If you want the attacks to stop, have the boy come to the ruins of Ka Dingal. Alone."

"Who are you?" Rudy asked, his hand dropping to his ARM.

"I am Gladius," he said to him. "That is all you need to know. You've heard my instructions. I'll wait for three days." Gladius picked up Chimera's limp form, and in one quick movement, was gone.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

"Now what do we do?" Jack asked, his hands still holding his sword.

"What can we do?" Cecilia said, her face drenched in worry. "We don't know anything about what we're dealing with."

"Is there anyone we know that can help?" Jack questioned.

"No…wait!" Cecilia interrupted herself. "You think Vassim would know anything about this?"

"He might," Jack said, sheathing his sword at last. "He seems to know the most about these kind of things."

"So we're going to the Elw dimension?" Cecilia said.

"Might as well," Jack confirmed, leaning against a tree. "It's the closest we can get to some information. Funny, isn't it. I could've sworn those weapons they had were ARMs."

"They were," Rudy said, his back against the others. "Not a doubt in my mind,"

"Rudy?" Cecilia said, coming towards him.

"Nothing." He dismissed her concern. "Let's just go." He started walking away. Cecilia followed behind him.

"Hey Jane!" Jack called out to Jane, who was dozing silently. "You wanna come?"

"Wha…" she blathered, jumping up. "Oh…um…sure. Got nuthin' better to do. Let me get my stuff."

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

"Rudy, are you alright?" Cecilia asked him. The others hadn't caught up yet.

"Something about those ARMs bothered me," Rudy told her. "They seemed…different."

"How?" she questioned.

"They didn't look…old," Rudy mumbled, looking away. "They looked as if they were created not long ago."

"A Modern Relic Machine?" Cecilia wondered. "But who would have the technology to create such a device?"

"Someone must be doing it," Rudy answered, then said: "If we're dealing with someone who can make ARMs, we have a real problem. We'd better head to the Elw Kingdom."

After a few more moments of traveling, Cecilia broke in again.

"Hey Rudy?" she said, starting to act nervously. "Thanks."

"For what?" he questioned.

"You know…back at the castle," she mumbled.

"Oh, that," he realized. "It was nothing."

"No really," she continued on. "I was lost over there."

'Well in that case, it was my pleasure," he smiled, then chuckled. "To be honest, I rather enjoyed it."

"Me too." She blushed.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

They had arrived at the Elw village when they received the news. "Vassim's gone?" Cecilia exclaimed, in total shock.

"We checked everywhere he might be," Emiko said, his hands clapped together. "His house, the field. Nothing."

"Why'd you go over to check on him anyway?" Jack asked.

"You mean you don't know?" Emiko said, surprised.

"Know what?" Jack said, wondering what Emiko was getting at.

"By helping you defeat the Metal Demons, Vassim has paid his debt to Filgaia," Emiko informed him. "He's free to move back to the village. At least he would have been," his voice took on a darker tone. "If this hadn't happened."

"Do you think he was kidnapped?" Cecilia asked him.

"Perhaps," Emiko thought this over. "But who would do such a thing?"

"The Demons?" Jack remarked.

"They are without leadership," Emiko said. "The Demons would be unwise to try something under those conditions."

"Who else do we know that would want to kidnap Vassim?" Cecilia pondered over this. Rudy's face suddenly lit up with realization.

"We may not know who they are," Rudy said, his features containing a certain dread. "But we know what they want."

"Which is?" Jack prodded him impatiently.

"What else?" he said. "The Guardian Blade."

"Impossible!" Emiko shouted, not wanting to believe it. "They couldn't possibly have the materials necessary to create it. You need power from the Guardians of light and darkness to make it work."

"If they couldn't get access to their power, they wouldn't have captured him," Rudy pointed out.

"Then what do we do?" Cecilia asked.

"Well we already know some people that aren't above killing," Rudy commented.

"That white haired freak and the redhead?" Jack almost laughed. "What makes you think they are involved in this?"

"They have someone on their side that can create ARMs," Rudy told them, and they reeled back in horror. "Someone with those skills can probably figure out how to drain power from the Guardians," Rudy said. "The only thing they can't figure out is how to create the Guardian Blade." He looked at Emiko. "Once they have it, we are at their mercy."


	7. Chapter 6

Wild Arms: Legacy of the Holmcross

By Reid M. Haynes (RisanF)

* * *

Chapter VI: The Other Side

* * *

Chimera woke up in a small bed with Gladius leaning over the side.

"You're awake," he said, putting his hand on top of her head. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," she murmured, her eyes fluttering open. "Gladius, I'm sorry. I failed." She bowed her head in shame. "I'll take responsibility for this. There's no reason for you to be involved."

"He won't find out," Gladius reassured her. "It'll be between us."

"But if he suspects that you're hiding something from him, he'll surely destroy you..."

"He has no idea I'm not his puppet," he said. "Besides..." he paused. "I'm not ready for you to leave yet."

Chimera smiled slightly, and Gladius leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Be strong, my love," he whispered to her. "Soon, we'll have a home. Where we can live together."

She laid her hand on top of his. "I will," she said softly. "Take care."

He grinned, then left the room quietly. She sighed with a melancholy tone to her voice.

When she had first taken the job of spying on Gladius for the master, her affections had been insincere. After a month or two, however, she had found Gladius to be rather kind, and she had stopped pretending. He often confided in her his true thoughts and feelings. Having someone trust her that much gave her a nice feeling.

She never told him about her spying.

She looked worryingly at the door he just left out of. She knew he played a dangerous game. But she also knew it was necessary for them to be in peace...

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Gladius decided to walk the long way to the master's chamber. He needed the three miles to think.

All through Gladius's life, he'd had an inner conflict with himself. One side of him was ruthless and efficient, caring only if the job was done, disposing of what wasn't needed. That part of him was the part that killed Ransu back then.

But the other side was the one that allowed him to fall in love with Chimera. That part of him objected to needless killing. It even conflicted with the plan that the master had spent so long plotting. All that side wanted was peace.

However, both parts of him were always present within him. His own plans would involve the cooperative use of them.

He only hoped it all turned out well.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Jane was waiting outside when they came out all looking dejected.

"What happened in there?" she asked them.

"We have major problems," Jack moaned. "We just learned that all Filgaia will soon be at the mercy of some retarded wackos. And there's not a damn thing we can do about."

"Wha-a-at?" she said, taken aback.

"There must be something we can do," Cecilia said to Jack, not sounding like she really believed it.

"I know!" she cried out. "Let's go to the library!"

"Sure," Jack snorted. "Let's go read up on useless garbage. Algebra, perhaps?"

"We're not going to study," Cecilia corrected patiently. "We're going to look up something on ARMs at the library at Curan Abbey. That should tell us something useful."

Jane looked at the three Dream Chasers. Jack had his usual look of supreme annoyance on his face. Cecilia was obviously trying to look calm, but something in her eyes told Jane that she was hiding something. Rudy was making no effort to hide his worry. As usual, everyone except Jack was fretting over some hidden secret. Why doesn't anyone ever tell her about these things? All Jane could do now is follow them to the library.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

The foursome was asleep at the inn at the village. Some of them, anyway.

Cecilia was staring silently at the stars though the window. Jane was also awake, and saw her though the corner of her eye. She wondered what she was thinking. This mystery thing was really getting to her.

Jane had just about made up her mind to pry when Cecilia blurted out: "Jane, what do you think of Rudy?"

Jane sighed. Maybe she would finally get some answers now. "Well," she started. "He sorta has a lower self esteem than most. Quiet too. But he's pretty brave, for a kid. He's rather selfless as well, always helping out others before he worries about himself." She paused. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Besides for Jack, you're his closest friend," Cecilia turned to her. "He just...seems nervous about something. And..." Cecilia paused. She was starting to develop a habit of it. "I wondering...if I'm the cause of it."

"Why you?" Jane asked. This was getting more and more confusing.

"When Rudy looks at me, I see this worry in his eyes, like I'm in some sort of danger or something, like he's planning to do something rash."

"You really care about him, don't you?" Jane said quietly.

"Yeah," Cecilia admitted. "Do you think that's wrong?"

"Not at all," Jane told her. "It's natural for develop feelings for someone that you've traveled with for a long time. Besides..." Jane walked to her room. "Rudy needs someone who loves him that much."

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

What Jane said kept her up for a long time.

Feelings?

Love?

Was she starting to fall in love with Rudy?

What should she do? Would she tell him how she felt? No, she decided. It would be too difficult to travel with someone that she had such deep feelings for. What would Jack think of it? Would he feel left out? Probably. She had already settled down to go to sleep when her eye caught an object on the table.

Stoldark's Rune. His words echoed in her head. He had said not to hide her feelings out of pride.

And that's exactly what she was doing.

Cecilia put her hands in her head. Her silence would only hurt him in the end. It would probably hurt her too, she realized. Never again would she think of stooping to such selfishness. She would tell him what he needed to know, and see what happened. If there were changes in their relationship, she would deal with them as they came.

And if Jack didn't like it, he could shove it. She settled down and started to cry softly to herself.


	8. Chapter 7

Wild Arms: Legacy of the Holmcross

By Reid M. Haynes (RisanF)

* * *

Chapter VII: True Heart

* * *

The results were astounding, Jane thought as Jack read from the ARM Chronicles at the library.

"Listen to this," Jack said in between quoting from the book. "Seems that the ARMs originated from a colony fall above Filgaia."

"I remember you telling me about a colony like that," Jane responded to him. "You called it...Malduke?"

"Yeah," he said. "Says here that the Maldukian, or Mald'ian people disappeared long ago. But the way things stand now, I'd say they've just relocated."

"So we're talking about a race that makes their own ARMs?" Jane questioned. "And I thought that the Elws were somethin'..."

"It gets better," Jack snorted sarcastically. "This book was written more than a thousand years ago. If the Mald'ian still exist, their technology could be three times what we saw when we went to the colony."

"All this information, and all we needed to do is look at the right book," Jane said in astonishment. "Ironic, isn't it?"

"But we still don't know what to do," Jack closed the book. "We're dealing with technological masterminds here. Hey Rudy, do you..."

But Rudy had wandered off by himself again. Jane searched the library, and found him fiddling with his ARM. Looking at it with a certain realization.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

A circular shaped pod was fired from a chute. It sped faster, and faster.

The pod suddenly took the shape of a bullet and sped down a strange canyon. The canyon was lit up with strange lighting.

The bullet continued to fly, and suddenly it changed into a bizarre flying machine. The machine has rockets coming out of its backside, and then the machine started to resemble the Protowing.

The Protowing replica shot into a black hole, which was revealed to be a small child's eye. The child screamed, and his face matured into the likeness of the red haired Gladius.

Gladius raised his ARM, and fired.

Rudy woke up sweating. He checked his wind-up clock. It was the middle of the night, and the others were fast asleep. It was a dream, but Rudy knew that it didnÌt end there.

"It's them," Rudy huffed as he started to get dressed. "They're the ones."

He pulled out some paper and a quill, and jotted down something. He laid the paper on Cecilia's bed. He looked at her sadly, then he scooped up his sword and ARM.

His last thought before he dashed off into the night was of what he had to do.

To save Filgaia. To find the truth.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Cecilia woke up to hear the slam of the door. She was still a little groggy, so she didn't discover that Rudy was gone right away.

What she found first was the note that he left her.

* * *

Dear Cecilia,

I'm taking the Protowing out to the ruins of Ka Dingal. Don't come after me.

Rudy

* * *

"Oh no," she said. Quickly, she slipped on her blue dress, and was out the door in two minutes.

She ran as fast as she could. "Not now," she muttered to herself. He couldn't do this before she told him.

He couldn't!

She kept running, and was relieved to find Rudy beside the Protowing, just getting it ready for flight.

"Rudy!" she yelled. Rudy whipped around in shock. "Thank goodness you're still here!"

She was panting, nearly on the ground. Rudy walked up to her. "What are you doing here?" he demanded of her. "Didn't you get my note?"

"You can't do this," she reasoned with him. "You can't go on a suicidal quest to save Filgaia alone. You'll perish."

"That doesn't matter," he said, looking away. "If I must sacrifice myself, I will."

"Why, Rudy?" she asked him. "Why must you go alone?"

"Because I'm the only one who can defeat them," he told her. "Look...I can't explain it, but these people, the Mald'ian, are responsible for my existence."

"You mean..." she gasped.

"Yes..." he confirmed. "They are my creators. And because of this, I'm the only one who can stop them." He took a breath. "Look, if you or Jack were to come along, you'd only be targets. I can't protect you and defeat them at the same time."

Rudy continued back to the Protowing, and Cecilia was getting more and more upset.

"But...we need you," she tried. His walk didn't slow.

"You'll get along without me," Rudy said, almost to the Protowing by now. "Monsters aren't that hard to kill."

"I didn't mean that..." She paused. He wasn't stopping. Cecilia's fear was rising. This was the only time left to tell him.

"Rudy...I love you!" she called out.

Rudy finally stopped and turned around.

"Is that true?" he asked, his voice starting to sound heavy.

"...yes," she nearly murmured. She was starting to lose her composure. "Rudy...I'd better leave." Her eyes were filled with tears. She started to walk back when Rudy called her name. She stopped.

"You don't have to hide your tears from me," he said softly.

Cecilia looked deep into Rudy's eyes, then ran to him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, and she sobbed loudly, clutching at him. Although she felt upset, crying was somehow relieving to her. Even when her father had perished, she didn't shed a tear, for fear she would seem weak. Rudy letting her cry in front of him lifted a great burden off of her. "Thank you," she burst out in between sobs. After a minute or so, her crying had died down.

"Rudy," she sniffed, still holding onto him. "...do you really want to do this?"

"Not anymore," he said, stroking her hair gently. "But I still have to do this...to protect Filgaia..." After a moment's hesitation, he added: "...to protect you."

"But you don't have to die," she looked into his eyes again. "Can't you stay alive...for me?"

"I'll try," he said calmly.

"No!" she shouted, nearly into his ear. "Promise me that you won't do anything that'll get you killed."

Rudy waited for a few seconds. ..."I promise."

Cecilia pressed closer to him. "Kiss me," she whispered into his ear with a deep longing.

Rudy let go of her and stepped back. "Later," he said to her. "I have to go,"

"Wait!" she called out.

"I'll be back." Rudy turned to her and winked. "Don't want to miss that kiss."

She grinned lightly. "That sounds like Jack," she kidded.

"Who else?" He smiled.

He proceeded to the cockpit and strapped himself in. He looked back at her. Cecilia was staring at him, hoping with all her heart that he made good on his promise.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Rudy guided the Protowing through the sky. He almost couldn't believe the things she had said to him. She had gotten up the nerve to say that she loved him.

And he loved her too. More than anything.

He wished he had said it then. He made it a point to tell her when he got back. For he had no intention of dying. Not when he just found a reason to live.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Jack had woken up after a time. He was looking everywhere for Rudy and Cecilia. What had those two done now? They'd been acting up for a while now.

He woke up Jane. "Jane, you'll never believe this," Jack exclaimed in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "Rudy and Cecilia are gone!"

"Nooo!" Jane gasped exaggeratedly. "Who would've thought?"

"We'd better look for they, anyway," Jack said, starting for the door. At that moment, Cecilia wandered in like a lost puppy.

"Where've you been?" Jack snapped at her.

"Rudy's gone," she said, ignoring Jack's comment.

"What?" Jane pried, walking over to her.

" He went to Ka Dingal," she said, her eyes swollen up. "To meet with Gladius."

"We've got to stop him," Jack shouted, heading out. But Cecilia blocked his path.

"No," she said firmly, refusing to yield. "Let him go."

"But...why?" Jack asked, astonished that she would even suggest such a thing.

"Because only he can do this," she said to them.

"But what if he doesn't come back?" Jane questioned.

"He'll come back..." she said, looking to the horizon. "He promised..."


	9. Chapter 8

Wild Arms: Legacy of the Holmcross

By Reid M. Haynes (RisanF)

* * *

Chapter VIII: Gladius and Rudy

* * *

"So you've arrived," Gladius said to Rudy as he approached the ruined tower.

"What do you want?" Rudy replied curtly, clearly not wishing to waste time.

"To show you your destiny," Gladius said with a wave of his hand. Out of nowhere, a small circular platform appeared under Gladius's feet.

"Step here, and you will be transported to your home," he commanded.

Rudy slowly went onto the platform, and Gladius followed suit.

A brilliant flash of florescent light overtook the surroundings, and they were gone.

When they materialized, they were in a dark chamber.

"Where are we?" Rudy asked.

"Home," Gladius answered simply.

The kid was rather naive for a Holmcross, Gladius thought. He'd obviously been cooped up in the technologically un-advanced Filgaia for too many years.

And around humans. Gladius sneered. I bet he actually thinks they're righteous people. As opposed to the villainous bastards they were.

The kid was motionless now, searching around him in wonder. Figures.

"What are you waiting for, Holmcross?" Gladius snapped, hurrying him up. "Let's go."

"My name is Rudy," he insisted firmly.

Rudy. Given to him by a human, no doubt. Such a name was unfitting to the killing machine he was. Whoever named him probably wasn't thinking straight.

The boy's eves seemed distant. His thoughts were obviously somewhere else. Filgaia, perhaps.

No, he corrected. It was the girl. He almost groaned. That fool kid has fallen for a human girl. This will make matters far more difficult that anticipated.

The Holmcross was turning out less and less prosperous by the minute. Gladius started to wonder why he even bothered.

And yet...there was something about him that was familiar. However, Gladius didn't have time to investigate it now.

He opened a door. But Rudy didn't seem prepared for what awaited him.

They stood on a small walkway. Around them, tall glassy buildings rose into the dark blue sky. Various vehicles zoomed down the paved highway. A white beam emitted from a light moved back and forth, illuminating the mist that the city seemed enveloped in.

"Welcome to New Malduke, Holmcross," Gladius said with a broad gesture. "Follow me."

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Some time later, Gladius was traveling the streets on a strange two-wheeled contraption, while Rudy followed behind him on the attached passenger car.

"What is that thing..." asked Rudy.

"It's a motorcycle," Gladius responded shortly. "Keep quiet."

Gladius was tense, Rudy observed. It was obvious that whomever he worked for wasn't light on mistakes.

What could be going on in his head? Rudy was deep in contemplation. For someone who tried to kill his loved ones, he didn't seem evil. Rather, it was like he truly believed in his mission. Rudy knew he was being lied to somehow. If not, Gladius must be doing a great job acting.

They rode like this for a few more minutes, then they stopped.

"Get out," Gladius said as he swung off the bike. "We're here."

They were in front of a large, semi-modular tower. Gladius walked forward into the building. Rudy followed behind him. Inside, a mass of tubes and wires hung overhead. Statues stood symmetrically on the outside of the path they were moving on. They continued into a large chamber with a regal presence to it. Rudy was awed by the majestic nature of the area.

"This is Central Headquarters," Gladius explained. "The master awaits us here."

"The master...?" Rudy whispered.

They approached the throne in the center of the room. A bearded man sat on top of it. He carried a large staff, and had a sense of command about him.

Rudy knew who he was immediately.

"Malduke," is all that Rudy said, and yet, it explained everything.

"Yes," Malduke confirmed. "It is I who controls the inter-dimensional colony of Malduke. I will explain everything."

The old man raised his staff in a gesture of bravado. "We are headed toward a new age," he rumbled. "An age of prosperity. An age of hope. We want you to be part of this age."

"What do you mean?" Rudy asked the ruler.

"The Mald'ian lifestyle has always been cramped." Malduke answered, setting his staff down. "Our colonies are always too small for our rising population. So that's why we want to relocate our people..." he pressed a button, and a three-dimensional display of Filgaia appeared above him. "...relocate to Filgaia," he finished.

"But that planet is already populated with humans," Rudy said, although he already knew where this was going. "Under those circumstances, you're better off looking for another planet with less life-forms."

"That problem is already being solved," he told him. "The humans will be taken care of as soon as our...guest finishes his project." Malduke flicked on a switch, and the display changed to an image of a man tiring over an anvil. Every time he stalled, an electric shock went through his body, jolting him.

"Vassim..." Rudy whispered to himself in shock. So he had been right all along. The Mald'ian, with aid from the Guardian Blade, would rid Filgaia of all life, and colonize the planet.

"I see you've figured it out." The old man applauded Rudy, who was still in horror over this new revelation. "The humans will be eliminated, and we will rise to the level of glory we so richly deserve."

"How will you get the power necessary to create it?" Rudy questioned, in case they were bluffing.

Malduke laughed heartily. "Power is not a problem," he said with a chuckle. "I have full access to the Guardian's powers with this..." Out of the ceiling, a large stone platform was lowered onto the ground.

But the stone platform isn't what grabbed Rudy's attention. Rather, it was the object stuck into the stone.

The Guardian Blade.


	10. Chapter 9

Wild Arms: Legacy of the Holmcross

By Reid M. Haynes (RisanF)

* * *

Chapter IX: The Truth

* * *

"So you still have the original?" Rudy breathed, stepping back.

"We had it for years," Malduke said. "The humans thought that it had been destroyed or lost long ago. But the truth is, we simply took it to power New Malduke."

"But why would you go out of your way to create another one?" he questioned.

"The Guardian Blade's full power is used to keep the city running," the old man explained. "If we were to take it out of the stone, New Malduke would collapse. So I decided to use the sword's power to create a new one. One that would be used on Filgaia." He pointed at Rudy. "And I want you to join us. Help us get accustomed to the planet. Lead us into our new age!"

Rudy thought about the Guardian Blade, Filgaia, the humans, Jane, Jack, Cecilia, and himself. He made his decision.

"No," he said finally.

"What...?" Malduke shouted, outraged.

"I will not help in a plot to conquer my planet," Rudy repeated himself. "What you are doing is wrong."

"But you know as well as I do that the humans are hopeless," Malduke reasoned. "Disgusting little creatures covered in evil, deceit, and sin. Why would you possibly want to have them?"

"Because Filgaia still has good people in it," Rudy responded. "They are slowly getting their lives back together. And I won't let you destroy them!" he ended harshly.

"Perhaps you are thinking about your friends," Gladius interrupted. "You know deep down inside yourself that they are just using you."

"Liar!" Rudy burst out suddenly outraged. "My friends love me."

"And the girl," he poked viciously. "Why would she want you? You know what you are. She knows what you are. You aren't even human. And you know she'd never feel about you the way you feel about her. You don't belong with them, you belong with us!"

Rudy's eyes narrowed, seething in anger. "Shut up!" he shouted, bringing his ARM out of the holster. "The answer is still no, so shut up!"

"What a pity," Malduke sighed. "I expected better than this from you." He pressed a button, and a trapdoor opened up beneath Rudy.

But Rudy saw this coming and quickly back-flipped out of the way. He was about to take a shot at Malduke when Gladius slipped up behind him behind him, and hit him with the butt of his ARM.

Rudy's vision was spinning. He attempted to regain consciousness, but blacked out on the floor.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

"Looks like your attempt to convert the Holmcross has failed," Malduke told Gladius, looking at him with disdain. "Now you must eliminate him."

Gladius nodded, drawing a bead on Rudy's head. He was about to pull the trigger, when he stopped. Something deep within him was telling him not to kill this boy. He couldn't fight it. Not now.

"Hold it!" Gladius found himself saying. "I'm not through with him yet."

"What...?" Malduke said, almost amused. "Are you saying you want to give this traitor mercy?"

"You know that is false," Gladius's smooth tongue worked out an excuse. "Master, with your permission, I wish for authority to interrogate the Holmcross."

"Of course." Malkuke laughed. "I give you permission."

"Thank you, master," Gladius responded, then quickly left the room, thinking about the fib he just told.

It _was_ mercy, Gladius thought. Why did he give mercy to a traitor?

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

When Rudy woke up, he found himself in a holding cell of sort. But, in place of bars, there stood vertical beams of light emitted from cone shaped energy emitters. Rudy decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to touch them.

He was trapped, alone and disarmed. All of the walls were of some strange metal. Unmovable, Rudy decided after inspecting it.

"Then this is it," Rudy mumbled. His journey would end here. He sat down and put his head into his hands. After all his adventures, it was over.

"Cecilia, I'm sorry," he murmured. What would she think if she knew that she would never see him again. Rudy might as well have lied intentionally.

"No!" Rudy stood up. He wasn't through yet. If he had to chew though those beams with his teeth, he'd make it back to her. He looked outside the cell. His weapons were hanging on a couple of pegs on the wall. If he could his hands on the ARM...

He looked around for resources. The only thing he had were the clothes on his back. He still had his belt on, though. It would have to do. He undid his belt, and carefully moved it between the beams. The belt stretched out as far as it could, but it still couldn't reach. Rudy reeled the belt back in, and thought for a moment. He needed a way to alter his strategy a bit. His intense thought provoked sweat that clung to his bandanna.

His bandanna.

Perfect, Rudy thought as he loosened the piece of red cloth. The bandanna was tied onto the belt, and he tried again. The combined length of the bandanna and belt was just long enough to reach the ARM. The belt buckle was slowly maneuvered onto the ARM's holster lock, hooking on with a click. He pulled on the bandanna. It was working! The ARM was soon within reach, and Rudy clutched it.

He smiled, and promptly shot several of the cones, which exploded on impact. He edged through the space between them, then scooped up his sword. The bandanna and belt were back on, and Rudy was proceeding down the hall, looking for Vassim. He must be around here somewhere...

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

"What?" Malduke screamed out when he heard the news. "How can this be?"

"I don't know!" Gladius said, trying to calm his master down. "Well, actually, the security guard was handling a problem with our other prisoner..."

"That damn fool..." he spat, than pointed to Gladius. "Take care of him. Bring a unit with you just in case you have trouble with him."

"Yes sir," Gladius said, drawing his ARM. "He's finished."

Gladius ran out of the building. No, Gladius thought. There would be no mercy this time.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Malduke leaned back on his throne, pondering over the recent events.

Gladius was proving himself to be more and more unreliable. His infatuation with the Holmcross had almost reached the level of protection.

If Gladius couldn't handle killing the Holmcross...he would take care of him...

No, make that both of them.

XXXXX

Rudy was busy looking through the complex for Vassim when Gladius's team caught up with him.

"Destroy him," Gladius ordered his guards. The guards immediately started to fire their own ARM's at the escapee. Rudy danced around a corner, and when there was a break in the fire, shot twice. The pair of bullets struck the two guards that flanked Gladius, who flew back onto the slick floor. The guards were moving in closer, so Rudy whipped out his sword in case of close conflict. The rest of the guards rushed in with firearms blazing. Rudy swung his sword at the guards, smacking two of the guards' weapons uselessly away. He simultaneously shot and stabbed the two guards, and they toppled over. The remaining retreated from Rudy in fear. Only Gladius was left.

"You fight with such passion," Gladius admired sincerely. "Those humans really do mean something to you."

Rudy said nothing, but simply aimed his ARM at Gladius. "Step back, and I will not harm you." Rudy looked coldly at Gladius.

"Sorry, but it isn't that easy," Gladius's ARM was also aimed at Rudy. "I'm sorry it has to be this way." He prepared to fire.

But Rudy was faster. The gun was shot out of Gladius' hand. It spun away, and crashed into the wall. Gladius sneered.

"Think you have me?" he snarled. His sword pointed out at the ARM. "You've used four bullets now. The only four bullets left in your ARM. And you've run out of clips too. What now?" Rudy put away his gun, and raised his sword into a fighting position.

Gladius almost cracked a smirk. "You're incredible," he said, semi-sarcastically. His sword darted out in a stab the other's stomach. Rudy countered with a quick block, then slashed the blade at Gladius's neck. He jumped back, and threw an overhead chop at Rudy's shoulder. Rudy dropped to one knee to avoid the attack, then shot his leg out at Gladius's knee's. He was knocked to the ground, and by the time he recovered, Rudy's sword was at his neck.

Rudy's face was stone cold, but he couldn;t help noticing the queer look on Gladius's face. "Why are you fighting us?" he asked. "All we want is a new home."

Rudy's gaze turned to ice. "I don't know who raised you to be like you are," he said. "But I almost feel sorry for you. Is working for that monster the only thing that motivates you?"

"No!" he screamed out, and Rudy almost jumped back. "Our goals are merely the same. My motives aren't the same as his."

"Then what are your motives?" He was surprised to find he was asking him these questions.

"I have...someone...that I want to live in peace with," Gladius started. "I can't do that unless I have a real home. Away from New Malduke. Once your planet is ours, then we will settle there."

When Rudy thought about it, his motives were actually similar to his. True, he wanted to stop Malduke's plans, but most of all, he wanted to just live in peace with Cecilia.

"Why do you need to wipe out an entire planet's population?" Rudy asked, quieter this time.

Gladius sighed. "Didn't you hear us earlier?" he growled. "Humans are evil. Those friends of yours don't really care for you. It's all an act. A trick to coax you into helping them defeat monsters."

"That's where you're wrong," Rudy breathed. "My friends aren't evil. I know it. They've gone out of their way to help me several times. And in all honesty..." he took a breath. "...I don't think they'd care if I fought with them or not."

"But, the master said that humans are evil," Gladius attempted. Yet, his resolve seemed to be weakening.

"Then he's lying to you," Rudy replied simply. Gladius still didn't get it, it seemed.

Then Rudy found a way that might make him understand.

"If you had seen her eyes, the way they sparkle when she looks at me, you'd understand." He needn't explain whom he was talking about. "I'm sure you've seen it on your loved one." He waited for it to sink in, then asked: "Haven't you?"

Gladius paused for a moment. "I have seen that look," he muttered to himself. He looked at Rudy again, but this time his vision centered on the bandanna. "Where did you get that bandanna?" he asked.

Rudy thought about it for a moment. "I've had it ever since I was born," he said.

"But that cloth...it seems so familiar..." Suddenly Gladius's eyes lit up in realization. "Then that means...we're brothers."


	11. Chapter 10

Wild Arms: Legacy of the Holmcross

By Reid M. Haynes (RisanF)

* * *

Chapter X: Revealed Memory; New Mission

* * *

Fifteen years ago...

* * *

Yanna sat down, nursing her child. A small five-year-old with mussed red hair approached her.

"Mommy, can I go play in the streets?" he asked innocently. She smiled good-naturally.

"Silly, you have to wait until you're eleven," she reprimanded lightheartedly. The child started to pout shamelessly. She sighed. "Gladius, you must learn to accept things when they don't your way," she instructed sternly.

"Yes, Mommy," Gladius said obediently, then resumed playing with a toy model of a Metal Bird.

It was amazing how these two were so much like real children, she thought to herself. Real emotions, real wants. She wondered if she could teach them the concept of right and wrong.

The leader Malduke commissioned the Holmcross Project. He had assigned her team at New Malduke Technologies to oversee the project. Once completed, she had been assigned to observe and monitor the growing boy. A mother of sorts, she thought. After five years, after reliability of the child's stability had been confirmed, she was granted another Holmcross to raise with the other.

But she wasn't prepared for what was to happen.

A knock came at her door. When she opened it, there stood Malduke's assistant, Yuno. She secretly despised him. He was involved in a lot of shady business. Much of his work involved use of his violet colored dagger. She remained courteous, though.

"What is your business, Assistant Yuno?" Yanna asked him politely.

Yuno's hand was on his weapon. "I've come to relieve you of your responsibility," he said darkly.

Yanna was confused. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"The master has decided that your methods of handling the Holmcrosses are improper," he continued. "They are being brought up with too many morals. Why are you raising them like children, instead of the weapons they are?"

Yanna was angry. "Weapons?" she snapped, almost on the verge of leaping on the man.

"Yes," he said with no emotion. "You know perfectly well their use is to command the Mald'ian army in a strike to take over a planet. They should not be taught right, wrong, and definitely not love. All they need to know are tactics." He crossed his arms. "Why the attitude? You used to be such a nice servant to New Malduke. Never questioning our motives. Helpful. Why ruin it for yourself now? Be smart," an edge crept into his voice. "Give them up. Now."

"Forget it!" She called for Gladius. "I quit, and I'm taking my children with me!"

"You'll do nothing of the sort!" He unsheathed his dagger.

Yanna responded with a quick jab to the face. He reeled back in pain. She motioned for her son to follow her, but Yuno had already grabbed him.

"Mommy!" Gladius cried, starting to break out into tears.

"Gladius!" she screamed out. But Yuno had already shot a toxin into his blood stream. Gladius slumped over, unconscious.

That's when the guards started to fill the room. Yanna knew there was nothing she could do for Gladius right now. She hugged her baby to her chest, and took a flying leap out of a window. She landed on a rooftop, and proceeded to the escape pods.

No way was Malduke going to use her son as a weapon.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

"So that's how it was," Gladius said to Rudy, who was sitting down listening. "I don't know why I remember now. It must have been locked away deep within my memory. Somehow, seeing that cloth reminded me..." He stood up. "Mother didn't want me to become a weapon. And that's exactly what I became." Gladius bowed his head in shame.

Rudy had been right all along. The humans did have hearts. And Malduke had lied to him.

Not only about humans, but about his origin as well.

Why? Gladius was confused. Why go through that trouble?

Rudy looked at Gladius. "You didn't know you were a Holmcross?" he asked him.

"Not until recently," Gladius mussed over the past. "When I was taken from my mother, they must have erased my memory. Yet, for some reason, the memory wipe wasn't complete. I still knew deep inside what she had taught me. So I learned the concepts of war along with the love I had within." Gladius grabbed his sword and ARM, and put them away. "Rudy, I'm sorry about all this." Gladius turned away, disgusted with himself. "I thought all humans were evil. For you to turn out like this, I must have been wrong..."

Rudy started to leave. "Apology accepted...brother," he finished, then ran down the hall.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

He had not gone more than a dozen meters when Gladius approached him. "Wait," he said, and Rudy looked at him curiously. "Malduke has soldiers guarding every section of the city. You'll need a guide."

Rudy turned to him. "Why would you risk your master's wrath to help me?" he questioned.

"Malduke lied to me about humans, about who I am," he said. "I refuse to just go along with his plans any further."

"I'm trying to find the other prisoner, Vassim," Rudy told him.

"He's in section Green One of the prison complex." Gladius drew his sword. "Let's hurry."

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Vassim was in his cell, staring at the wall in despair.

A day ago, he had just finished the Guardian Blade. It would be used against Filgaia in a matter of hours. It seemed that all was lost. He had tried to escape, but all that got him was back in the cell, this time chained to a post.

He struggled, but to no avail. No one would help him. No one would help Filgaia.

Suddenly, sounds of a struggle ensued from outside the cell. The energy beams were deactivated, and Gladius entered the cell.

"What the hell do you want, you pathetic lackey," Vassim spit out, almost literally. "Come to get rid of me?"

"In a way, yes," Gladius said thoughtfully. "But this time I brought a friend."

Vassim cringed, expecting to see some vicious mongrel jump in and rip him to shreds. Instead, Rudy walked into the cell.

"Rudy!" Vassim exclaimed, surprised.

"Vassim! This way!" Rudy called to him.

"It's too late," Vassim bowed his head in defeat. "The Guardian Blade has already been forged. It'll be used soon."

"We still have time," Gladius said to him. "Malduke will probably want to add a finishing touch to it. And he'll wait for me to give the status on the Holmcross."

"How do you know he'll do all of this?" Vassim asked.

"I've worked with him all my life," he responded. "I know a few things on how his mind works."

"I sense there's a few things I haven't been told," Vassim muttered.

Rudy prepared his ARM. "We'll tell you on the way."

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Chimera's wounds had healed by now, and she was ready for anything.

She strapped on her ARM, and prepared to meet Gladius. At that moment, Gladius burst in, along with the Holmcross and that Vassim.

"Gladius...wha..." She was feeling really strange about this. "What the hell's going on?"

"Get ready, Chimera!" Gladius took her arm. "We're going."

"What are you talking about?" she stopped. "And why are you with these two?"

"I'll explain later," he said. "Hurry up!"

She was getting more and more exasperated by the minute.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

"So plans have changed?" Chimera asked on the way to Central Headquarters.

"Yes." Gladius struggled to keep his eyes on the road and talk at the same time. "Seems I was mistaken about humans."

They were travaling on an elevated highway. Gladius directed the motorcycle while the others were pulled in the buggy.

"Mistaken?" Chimera shouted to be heard above the engine. "You mean Malduke lied to us?"

Gladius nodded, then resumed driving. Chimera looked at Vassim, who was stiffening up again. "I really wish you would stop looking at me as if I were evil incarnate," she said finally.

"Well, we really didn't have a good introduction."

"I just recently learned about you humans," she snarled. "Give me a break."

"It's pretty sad, actually," Gladius mumbled. "I just found out my entire life is a lie..."

"Don't be so depressed," Rudy advised. "After we stop Malduke from destroying Filgaia, it'll be over."

"So how do we go about defeating Malduke?" Vassim asked. "Just waltz in and fill him with lead?"

"It's not that simple," Gladius explained. "If Malduke knows that we're going to kill him, he will not hesitate to use the Guardian Blade against us. I'll lead Rudy in, then Chimera and Vassim will sneak in from behind. At that point, we'll rush him, seize the Guardian Blade, and destroy him."

"Sounds easy enough," Chimera said.

At that moment, two Metal Birds zoomed in from above. "Bring your vehicle to a halt," the pilot demanded. "You're under arrest."

"Damn it all to hell!" Gladius swore.

"Someone gave Malduke the news," Vassim groaned.

"Now we must do this the hard way." Chimera pulled out her ARM, and prepared for combat.


	12. Chapter 11

Wild Arms: Legacy of the Holmcross

By Reid M. Haynes (RisanF)

* * *

Chapter XI: Grand Battle

* * *

Chimera fired a bullet at the first Metal Bird's exhaust pipe. The projectile struck in the Metal Bird's wing and steam hissed out of the wound.

However, the winged craft still remained in the air. The Metal Bird dove down, firing a barrage of shots from its wing mounted ARMs. Gladius moved the cycle to the right to avoid the bullets, then turned around in his seat to let loose a blast from his own ARM. This time, it hit directly in the cockpit. This shot critically damaged the Metal Bird. It slowly lost altitude, then impacted on a tall building.

The other one was trying to zoom in closer, in an attempt to reach firing range, but Vassim ended that by blowing up its fuel talk with a well placed gun blast from his borrowed ARM. This time however, the doomed pilot, in a last ditch effort, tried a kamikaze maneuver by aiming his Metal Bird straight at the quartet.

"Move it!" Vassim yelled out. "It's gonna crash into us!"

Gladius slammed his foot on the gas petal, sending the bike barreling down the highway. They narrowly missed the craft by a couple of meters.

"That was close," Chimera said, then turned back forward. "Oh no! A blockade!"

A handful of armored vehicles blocked off the rest of the highway, accompanied by several dozen soldiers, all with high-powered ARMs.

"There's more than one way to get to a destination." Gladius gritted his teeth. He started to move the bike off the road.

"Wha..." Vassim's eyes became like saucers. "You aren't thinking of..."

"Brace yourself!" Gladius interrupted. He punched up his speed.

And the motorcycle tore clean off the road. It landed on a smaller highway with a jolt, and Gladius strained to regain control. The quartet proceeded back onto the main road, just beyond the blockade.

They were at the front gates of Central Headquarters now. They all hopped off.

"Okay, this is it!" Gladius called to them. "No turning back."

"Are you guys ready?" Rudy asked Vassim and Chimera.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Vassim loaded his ARM.

Chimera operated the gate mechanism, and they proceeded in.

Inside, another compliment of soldiers greeted them. Rudy killed two of them, while Chimera strafed to avoid a collection of shots headed toward her. She fired back, taking out several of the opposition. Gladius, meanwhile, was charging directly at the enemy with his ARM blazing. Seeing that Vassim was about to get shot, Chimera knocked a couple off his back.

"Thanks," he told Chimera gratefully.

"Don't mention it," she said as she rolled to avoid another guard's fire.

Two more soldiers wielding wicked looking ARMs with bayonets stinking out above the barrel approached Rudy. Their guns apparently out of ammunition, they attempted a frontal assault by slashing their weapons at his chest. He leaped back, and unsheathed his sword. They tried again, but Rudy combated their jabs with a quick rotation of his blade.

Gladius's sword spun through the air, and into a soldier's stomach. After the soldier fell, his elbow flew back to hit another one on the chin.

Rudy ducked a swipe at his head, and tried an overhead swipe at the bayonet guard. But he easily blocked it, and drove his weapon at Rudy's neck. He sidestepped the attack, and jumped back to avoid the second guards rush. Finding a clear opportunity, he fired his ARM. The bayonet guard rolled on the ground in pain, clutching at his side. The other bayonet guard was quickly defeated with one more bullet.

Vassim crouched to avoid more shots, then defeated two soldiers with a round of shots. While this was happening, Chimera flew into the air, and took out three guards very quickly. When she hit the ground, she tripped up another one.

The guard's numbers had started to dwindle. They retreated out of the building quickly, and the four ran into the central chamber, where Malduke resided.

Malduke rose from his throne. But something was different about him. His eyes were glowing eerily in the dark.

"Relinquish the Guardian Blade immediately!" Rudy demanded.

Malduke chuckled evilly. He raised his arm up...or what used to be his arm. What stood in its place was a shining sword blade. His wings sprung out of his back.

"My friends, I _am_ the Guardian Blade."


	13. Chapter 12

Wild Arms: Legacy of the Holmcross

By Reid M. Haynes (RisanF)

* * *

Chapter XII: The Last Confrontation

* * *

"What have you done to yourself?" Rudy asked, stepping back.

"Don't you see?" Malduke giggled maniacally. "With this power, I an unstoppable!" He clenched his fist, and his entire arm crackled with energy. "I never realized that I could hold this kind of invincible force." He started laughing again. "With this energy at my side, I will not only rule New Malduke, I will rule the universe!"

Gladius' eyes narrowed. "This was your plan all alone, wasn't it?" he uttered a low growl. "You never cared about giving the people of New Malduke a home. All you cared about was obtaining the Guardian Blade, so you could control everyone." He stepped up to him. "You knowingly lied to me about humans, about my past, so you could use me in your twisted scheme."

"I'm not the only one with secrets." Malduke kept laughing, losing composure every minute. "Right...Chimera?"

Chimera's blue face went white. "W-what are you talking about?" she stammered, trying to avoid his eyes.

"Don't you recall the assignment I gave you?" His glowing gaze turned toward Gladius. "Gladius, remember when you first met her?"

"Get to the point, before I destroy you!" Gladius snarled viciously.

"What I'm saying, is that Chimera was all part of my scheme!" He burst out into a series of giggles again. "I knew that you might try to plot against me someday. So I sent her to spy on you!"

Gladius turned to her. "Is this true?" he asked her, tears forming in his eyes.

"Well...yes," she bowed her head shamefully.

"So everything we had together...was a lie." He slowly sunk down onto the floor, dejected.

"No!" she cried out, dropping to Gladius' side. "Look...maybe it did start out that way," she tried to catch her breath. "But I really do care for you."

He remained on the floor.

"Gladius...please!" She was starting to cry. "Do you think that I would've gone with you all this way if I was a spy?"

"You...really do care about me?" He looked at her.

"Of course." She put her hands on his shoulders. "C'mon, we'll beat this thing together."

Malduke looked at this exchange, and started to panic. "Don't listen to her!" he interjected. "She's just trying to save herself!"

Then, Gladius slowly started to rise. "You bastard..." He was one step from rage. "You hoped to break me, thought that when I heard this news, that I would lose control, and attack my allies. Well, guess what..." He brought Chimera to his side. "I love her, and I hate you!"

Chimera smiled at him. "I love you," she mouthed. Her eyes were shining.

"How can you forgive her after..."

"Shut up!" Gladius interrupted Malduke. "You're the enemy! I'll defeat you!"

Rudy moved alongside his new allies. "It's over, Malduke." His ARM was pulled up.

"Heh, heh, heh..." He was snickering again. "You actually think you can defeat me with those pathetic little ARMs?" Malduke chuckled. "I am invincible! Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Rudy looked at Malduke. His pupils were sunk deep into his head, almost non-existent. He knew now why he was laughing.

The power had driven Malduke completely insane.

"Die!" he screamed, lifting his blade arm up. At that moment, Vassim emerged from the shadows, and counteracted the attack with a glowing sword. Malduke was driven back a meter. "WHAT?" he said in surprise. There stood Vassim, armed with the original Guardian Blade.

"...I never thought that I'd use this weapon again," Vassim said. "Fortunately, it's for a good cause."

"That Guardian Blade's energy is the only thing holding New Malduke up!" Malduke yelled at him, seeming to regain some temporary sanity. "You'll destroy the entire city!"

"I thought about that, so I got hold of the city-wide intercom," Vassim pointed out. "The people of New Malduke have evacuated the city, back to a previous location." His mouth curled into a frown. "Not like you'd care, anyway." He raised the blade.

Swiftly, Malduke's blade slashed out, and tore the Guardian Blade from his grip. Luckily, Rudy caught the weapon in his hand. He brought the blade into a combat position.

"Soooo, the Holmcross wishes to duel with me!" Malduke rumbled. "How exhilarating!" With that, he swung the blade directly at Rudy's head. He blocked the attack, then aimed for his mid-section. Malduke moved his blade down to deflect it, then tried a quick stab to Rudy's gut. Rudy sideswiped the blade away, then attacked again.

The two continued like this for a minute with one attacking, and the other defending. The Guardian Blades clashed into each other with tremendous energy. Rudy strained to keep up with his adversary. But Malduke was good. It seemed like they would go on forever.

Then Rudy called out, "Guardians, give me the strength to go on!" The Guardian Blade started to glow...

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

All around Filgaia, the Guardians gave their strength to the Guardian Blade.

"Holmcross," Stoldark spoke out. "Wield our power with wisdom. For without wisdom, the Guardian Blade will overtake you, like it did Malduke. Fight for those you love. Fight for Filgaia."

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Rudy was filled with new strength. He continued to fight with the Guardian Blade, making each stroke quick and precise.

And when it was over, he stood by Malduke's torn body, a fatal slash in the monarch's side.

Malduke's body slowly faded away, his Guardian Blade disappeared with him.

Rudy summoned the Guardian Blade's power into his fist. He tossed it into the air, and let loose a blast of magical energy from his outstretched hand. It impacted with the weapon, and the Guardian Blade was destroyed in a burst of light.

"Rudy!" The voice of Gladius called to him. "Get moving! New Malduke is collapsing!"

The entire city shook with the loss of its power source. Segments of it were slowly breaking away. Rudy, Gladius, Chimera, and Vassim dashed off.

"The escape pods are this way!" Chimera yelled to the others, who were running from the destruction.

All of them climbed into a single large pod, and jetted from the city.

Ten seconds later, New Malduke erupted in a colossal explosion as the four flew to Filgaia...


	14. Epilogue

Epilogue

* * *

Rudy regained consciousness about the same time as the others.

"Where are we?" he asked the others.

"I think we're at Filgaia." Vassim observed trough the window.

They all climbed out of the pod. They were in an open field somewhere around Ka Dingal. The grass held the dew of a resent rain.

"So we made it," Gladius said out loud.

"This is Filgaia?" Chimera looked around in awe. "It's beautiful..."

They all walked a little way in the field.

"So Vassim, you'll be returning to the Elw Dimension?" Rudy questioned him.

"I guess," he said with disapproval. "Look's like I'll be back at my villa again.

"Not exactly..." Rudy had a twinkle in his eye. "Your debt's cleared. You're free to go back to the village anytime."

"All right!" Vassim startled the group. "This kicks ass!" He promptly shut his mouth, horrified at what he just said. Chimera snickered.

"Hey Rudy," Gladius said to Rudy. "Isn't someone waiting for you?"

Suddenly, Rudy dashed off to the Protowing. He grabbed the controls.

"Wait for us!" Vassim and the others jumped onto the Protowing, and they all jetted off.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Jack was in his room at the inn when Rudy burst in.

Although he was very relieved to see that his friend was back, he was man enough not to show it. "Hey, kid," he said simply, feigning casualness. "You almost missed dinner."

He wasn't too surprised when Rudy embraced him. "Okay! Okay!" he shouted. "I missed you too. Now, will knock it off?" Rudy released him.

"Where's Cecilia?" he said, looking around almost panicked.

"Oh, probably staring at the stars from some cliff." He dismissed the question as if it were of no importance. "You know how girls are." Jack threw in a wink for good measure.

"I happen to like looking at stars on cliffs," Rudy defended her.

"Gee, that would make you a girl, now wouldn't it," Jack chuckled good-naturedly.

"Oh, stop it Jack," the little blue pest from his pocket snarled. Rudy left before they started up.

* * *

XXXXX

* * *

Jack was right after all. Cecilia was, in fact, staring at the stars from some cliff. She was as he first saw her: long, flaxen-hued hair cutting to her waist like a mane of gold. Her clothes were rippling in the breeze, though she herself remained stoic to the chill of the air. She was like a white shade: beautiful yet mysterious all at the same time.

Rudy watched her, thinking how best to greet her. With a simple tap on the shoulder? Naaaa, that was way too shallow. Too calm. Too much like Jack. He simply opted to scream her name at the top of his lungs.

Cecilia almost jumped. When she looked behind her, her eyes lit up with pure joy. "Rudy!" she called out, running to him. He caught her in his arms and spun her around. When he finally put her down, she asked him, "How did it go?"

He smiled. "Success," he responded. "Filgaia is safe."

She moved closer to him. "I'm glad," she whispered, pressing up against Rudy.

"That Filgaia is safe?" he asked her.

"Yes...but mostly because you're alright," she said.

They looked into each other's eyes. This would be a good time to tell her, Rudy thought.

"I forgot to tell you something before I left," he began, fighting the shyness that was threatening to overcome him.

"What?" Her eyes widened, her ears pricked up as if she were hoping he'd say what she dearly wanted him to.

He leaned in closer, inhaling deeply.

"I love you, Cecilia," Rudy told her.

She looked at him with a delighted look on her face, like a little girl on her birthday. "Rudy..." Her eyes squinted, heavy from the tears that filled them. Her smile could brighten the universe.

He pulled her close and kissed her lips. They held the kiss for a long time.

When their lips broke apart, Rudy took her hand. "Follow me. I have some...friends I want you to meet."

She smiled, and they started to walk down the cliff side, hand in hand, when a loud crash from the inn stopped then.

"Now look what you did, you piece of blue sh..." a familiar voice yelled out.

"Watch your mouth, punk!" a high-pitched voice piped up. "Or I'll chew a hole in your ass!"

"Ooooo, Hanpan's talkin' dirty!" Jack snapped back.

"Don't believe me?" They heard a loud snap, and a horrific scream.

"Why you little..."

"You asked for it, you..." Hanpan continued with some very naughty words, some of which start with the letter F.

"That does it!" Jack screamed out. "I'm gonna have to make you my pet!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"I'll feed you little green pellets, and keep you in a cage all day! I'll call you 'shnooky wookie.'"

"NO! Not THAT!"

"Oh come on. You'll get a nice exercise wheel if you act nice about it!"

More struggle.

"HA! I'm kickin' your ass. Some Fast Draw expert you are!"

Rudy and Cecilia looked at each other.

"Get Jane down there," Cecilia said coldly. "Tell her to bring her ARM with her...just in case."

They looked at each other, and smiled.

Fin

* * *

Authors: Note: Well, that's it for LotH. I'd like to thank all my reviewers, especially Teefa and Uchiha, who were with me till the very end.

Disclaimer: Rudy, Jack, Cecilia, and all respective characters are trademarks of Sony Corporation. Gladius, Chimera, Yanna, Yuno and Ransu are my creations. Ask for permission before you use them. Thank you.

Until next fanfic, ja ne.


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